X-Ray and Vav: Shear Season
by thefandomchick95
Summary: Summer has come to the city, and crime never rests for our heroes, X-Ray and Vav, but things get a little hot when three supernatural heroes called the Supernatural Experiments, come to town, defeating villains in order to find a specific one. No one knows who he is except for them, but their leader wants nothing to do with morons. Will they join forces or cookie crumble?
1. Episode 1: Supernatural Experiments

The city was quiet, and the people were just minding their own businesses, going to work, playing baseball in the street, having lunch at nearby cafés, the normal things that people did. The sky was clear from clouds, and only a small breeze traveled past the buildings. For summer, it was a beautiful day. It was the best day for an ice cream cone down at the ice cream shop north of town. School was almost out and when classes were cut short, they ran down to that said ice cream shop for a single cone…or double…or if they really had the guts, their favorite flavor in the shop's Dare Devil Sundae Special, which consisted of any flavor they wanted, bananas, chocolate and peanut butter syrup, and cinnamon sticks that stuck out of the top. It was ten scoops of ice cream and the rest in one large bowl. Whoever was single and stupid enough to eat it all was awarded with a t-shirt and a coupon that allowed that said customer to buy any ice cream they wanted for free twenty times. Any fool was dumb enough to try and fail the Dare Devil Sundae Special Challenge.

Speaking of fools, our heroes in town, X-Ray and Vav, had just entered the establishment to partake in the challenge for the fifth time since the challenge was available at the shop. Each time, X-Ray was getting closer to accomplish the goal, but poor Vav got sick a quarter into the sundae. Why Vav kept doing it was beyond his own imagination. However, he had been best friends with X-Ray for years, and he had no reason to break his friendship with him now. X-Ray was the more determined one when it came to doing something. Whenever he wanted to do something, he would do it without thinking about the why nots.

"And we have a winner this time!" announced one of the employees after X-Ray finally finished his sundae. The shirt cannon went off, slapping the shirt in X-Ray's face, but X-Ray couldn't bother with it. He was only happy that he got his shirt and his coupon.

"Look, Vav!" he shouted, "It's finally mine! Free ice cream for twenty rounds! That will last us two months if we go on the weekends!"

"X-Ray, get that away from me," whined Vav, "I'm still trying to get over the peanut butter sauce."

"On the brightside, Vav, you managed to get in five scoops of chocolate into your stomach."

Since X-Ray was satisfied with what he had and considered that Vav was getting extremely ill, he refused to use his first spot on the coupon and carried Vav on his back out of the ice cream shop. "Make sure you don't puke on me as I carry you home, alright?"

"That's the last thing I wanna do, X-Ray." He choked. "Trust me."

While walking home and past a random restaurant, an explosion burst the doors off the hinges and smacked X-Ray and Vav to the ground. The both of them looked up to the smoke and small flames that were coming out of the building.

"What the hell was that?" X-Ray exclaimed.

"What do you mean, "What the hell was that?" That restaurant exploded like a chemical reaction!" replied Vav.

"That was a rhetorical question, you dumbass. Whatever it is, I'm gonna give the jerk a piece of my mind."

"I'm right behind ya," Vav said, wincing and shuffling forward.

X-Ray ran into the smoke and cleared it with his windy arms. A couple of customers were on the ground, trying to recover from the blast. Standing on the bar counter was a man dressed in green. His jeggings were covered in dollar signs. His heels scratched the countertop as he climbed on and leapt to the floor with a tan bag in his grip. His face seemed as if he got a spa treatment done recently, but that didn't bother X-Ray. What really made X-Ray's blood boil was that this asshole had the audacity to disturb the peace during the summer.

"Aw, look," said the villain, his voice slightly more feminine than the average man's, "It's X-Ray. Where's your little sidekick? Come to stop me alone?"

"Don't give me any pleasant talk, Green Heathen. I told you to get out of my city once, and I won't warn you again."

"Geez, how impolite. I only wanted to enjoy a nice shopping spree, and I worked this hard to only get yelled at. Is there no justice for people like me?"

"The only justice I deliver around here-" X-Ray adjusted his glasses and his frames started to glow red. "-is for those who deserve to eat in peace!" A blast of red lasers shot out and pushed the Green Heathen to the back of the restaurant, crashing through the wall into the back alley. X-Ray followed the enemy, ready to teach more of his lesson when he got back up.

"Ow! I just got these nails done, and you broke them, you son of a bitch!" cried the villain.

"Then, get a job to fix 'em!" X-Ray was about to laser-eye him again until something came out of thin air and knocked him over. "Hey! What gives?" A shadow hovered over him at that exact moment. When the sun struck the figure, X-Ray managed to get the perfect view of the person who pushed him over. It wasn't as tall as the average person, but being almost five foot didn't even make seeing its face difficult to view from the ground. The bust made it clear to everyone in the area about the female gender this person was. Her outfit struck to our leading hero as pink and gold, pink suit, gold boots and gloves, blonde hair, yet her gloves were the only part of the uniform that was white. No mask covered her face, so her brown eyes were darting as night. Her skin was just as pale as Vav's. If only the nose were different, then X-Ray would've assumed that the girl and his partner were long-lost siblings.

"Who are you?" X-Ray asked in a quiet, astonished tone.

"Oooooh, look, a pretty girl," squealed the Green Heathen. "Let me guess: you're X-Ray's ex-girlfriend."

The stranger clutched her fists and glared down at the villain. "I would've thought about changing that statement before saying it. This gullible fool is in no relation to me."

"Excuse me?" snapped X-Ray.

"Step aside, princess," gawked Green Heathen. "This business is only me against him. Why don't you go play with your Barbie dolls or something?"

The stranger raised her hand as if she was going to snap her fingers. "I'm afraid I don't have that choice. That will be up to my boys." Her thumb slipped from her middle finger, and a click sounded into the summer air.

A stream of black appeared from the emptiness of the sky, and the only word that X-Ray got out of watching was, "rope." The collection of "rope"s swirled around Green Heathen and tightened her arms to let go off the money bag. The enemy screamed for her clothes started to burn into her skin. The end of the "rope" rope fell along with a boy dressed in black with a silver cape blowing into the wind. A silver mask also covered his eyes as if it was glued there. In his right hand, a pen was gripping onto the "rope" rope.

"Is that ink?" was all X-Ray could ask about it.

A second boy jumped from a nearby roof and landed right in front of the girl of the group. His uniform was barely a uniform at all. It was all just glasses, jeans, a white shirt and a blue and white jacket. His shoes sparkled like metal…in other words, they were made out of metal. His glasses were flickering in the sunlight, making his brown eyes darker than the girl's. His watch stayed in one place as he moved.

"Runner, scan this one down," the girl ordered.

The second boy said nothing as he approached the trapped villain. Green Heathen shivered in his heels as he watched the boy called Runner remove his glasses. His eyes looked a lot blacker without them on.

"Please! Please, don't kill me! I'm only a poor transgender man trying to make a living. You wouldn't take my life for that, would you?"

After staring him down for a split second, he nodded at his comrade, which made the unnamed boy release the villain, who was now too weak to even stand up. "He's not associated with who we're looking for, boss lady. His heart is not dark enough to work for him. Desperate, yes. Smart enough, of course not."

The leader of the group grabs the bag of money into her own hands and said, "We might as well return the money to the owner. Leave him there for the police to grab."

"What about the skinny, green-suited one, boss lady?" the holder of the pen spoke at last.

"If he wants to play with the big boys and girls, he would take care of himself. Now, let's go before something else attacks us."

As they were leaving, X-Ray shouted, "Attacked? You attacked me, bitches!"

Just then, Vav finally arrived, screaming to breathe. "Sorry, X-Ray. I'm here now." He turned to see the villain on her face, and his stomach settled. "Damn, what did you do to him?"

"Absolutely nothing, Vav. While you were puking your guts out, some group of freaks jumped down and choked this heathen 'til he can't move."

"Seriously? Geez, they must've did a number on 'im."

"Are you listening to yourself, Vav?" snapped X-Ray. "We got stood up again! I seriously had this guy on pins and needles and some random freak shows finished the job! What the hell is the city going to think of us when they find out about this, and I swear to god, if you tell Ash, I'll hurt you."

"What makes you think I'll tell Ash anything?"

X-Ray glared deep into his best friend's eyes. Vav and Ash, a local city reporter, have been dating for about a month or so now, and what X-Ray didn't know about the two was that Vav didn't really have to say much in order to get Ash's attention. Yes, she was beautiful and smart, but she also knew that Vav had a kind heart and would do anything just to make her feel special. There were times when Vav gave Ash some things to report, but never did he give any of their secrets away to the public.

"I seriously will not tell her about this, X-Ray!"

"God, you two bicker like a married couple. Why don't you just get married already?" A good friend of X-Ray and Vav's leapt from the roof and adjusted himself to standing straight. That shirtless, bear-hooded, muscular figure was none other than their distanced ally, Mogar, a lone ranger who was raised out in the forest and hadn't thought twice about living with other human beings for the longest time since he lived.

"Mogar?" asked Vav, "What are you doing here? I thought you didn't want to come back to the city."

"Watching you losers lose…like the usual," Mogar replied casually. "What else do you want me to say? And to remark to that statement, Vav, I didn't, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for you guys."

"So you saw those three show stealers beat up that sack of flour?" X-Ray spoke, pointing to still passed out Green Heathen.

"Oh yeah, and I'm unfortunate enough to say I knew exactly who they were if that helps your case."

"You do?" the twin heroes chorused.

Mogar nodded once, his dark eyes setting aglow.

Along the rooftops in the business district, Mogar brought X-Ray and Vav to the quietest spot in the city. He explained to the others that whenever he did have to visit the city, that roof with the gas tanks was the place where he would watch the action happen. From under one gas tank, he yanked out a notebook Hilda gave him in case he had anything to report to her. Since Hilda was not relevant at that time, I shall explain who she is to these boys later. Mogar flipped to the pages where he kept the information his friends needed.

"They call themselves the Supernatural Experiments," Mogar announced.

Vav scanned over the pages and said, "You only got pictures, names, and what looks like the powers they possess, Mogar."

"I couldn't get much because they only started appearing recently."

"Why do they call themselves the Supernatural Experiments?"

Mogar crossed his legs and responded, "Rumor has it has these three used to be college kids until some science accident cursed them with supernatural powers." He pointed to each picture of the strangers to explain their identities. "That guy in the silver mask calls himself Ghost Writer. With any pen he touches, whatever he says, that pen will complete his commands."

"So that was ink I saw," X-Ray said, touching his chin with his fingers.

"That guy in the regular clothes is Runner Guitar. Like your powers Vav, he controls time onto a person or any object, but not only can he slow down things, he moves extremely fast, so you barely stand a chance if you don't know what he's going to do next."

Vav said, "I get the Runner part, but what's the Guitar part of the name?"

"He also controls sound. With one scream, he could kill you in seconds."

The Brit gripped around his throat and gulped.

"Oh, you're not supposed to be scared of those two. This is the girl you have to stay away from…or at least not make her mad. They call her boss lady, but her name is Shear."

"Shear? What power does she have to be called that?" mocked X-Ray, smirking and crossing his arms.

"To be honest, I have never seen her use powers, but she does seem to have a sharp tongue. Those boys obey her every command, and she makes any enemy cower in fear at her presence. My guess is that you should not make this woman mad, and I say woman because she doesn't like to be called a girl because of her height. Now, why these guys are here is a different story. From what I could gather, they are searching for a specific someone, and they believe that through other villains, they can find the one. Runner Guitar scans each of them to read their thoughts, but so far, they haven't been lucky. They must've come from towns over to reach this city. We might even have their someone under our roofs, and we might not even know about it."

"Perhaps, we should talk to them about this guy they're looking for," Vav suggested.

"Well, Vav," said X-Ray, "you may be onto something."

"You have a plan, X-Ray?" Mogar questioned, tapping his own chin.

X-Ray snickered. "Mogar, you should know by now that I always have something up my sleeve, no matter who I'm facing."

Though X-Ray may look like he couldn't go through with a fight even if his life depended on it, he was always the one who knew how to get into someone's head. The main street was empty by the approaching dusk, and X-Ray and Vav were ready to put the plan into action. The partners in justice borrowed trench coats from Vav's closet, and Ash lent them some fake newspapers to attract their rivals. Of course, much to X-Ray's distaste, their payment was to give their deets on the Supernatural Experiments from Mogar in order to create a legit article. Thanks to Vav though, Ash would let the battle with Green Heathen slip for once. X-Ray was already having a rough day, and he didn't need reporters constantly on his back either.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Vav asked his partner.

"Of course," X-Ray answered with a growl. "Mogar said that they're looking for a mysterious villain, so that's what we'll give 'em."

With that said, Vav rose the newspaper into the air, chanting, "Extra! Extra! New villain has been terrorizing the city!"

"Read it now!" called X-Ray, "Villain last seen on Main Street. Witnesses say, "He might still be in the area!"

"Superheroes needed! Oh, where are they when you need 'em?"

Before they knew it, Runner Guitar and his leader, Shear, landed onto the asphalt, turning heads. The one who spoke was the one X-Ray first met earlier that day. "You called for someone to take care of a villain?"

"That was quick," Vav mumbled to himself.

"Yes, we did," replied X-Ray, clearing his throat first.

"Well…" Shear crossed her arms. "Where's the bastard?"

X-Ray smirked as he removed his sunglasses to flash his laser ones. "Say cheese, bitches!" Red shot out and his rivals flew towards one of the buildings, smacking them into the wall.

Vav stripped his disguises until he was back into his uniform. "Wow, I can't believe that actually worked."

X-Ray removed his trench coat, laughing with pride. "I keep tellin' ya, Vav, that's what makes us town heroes. Quick thinking and unexpected cliché plots."

The two-thirds of the Supernatural Experiments groaned as they slowly but surely got back up on their feet. Runner was mad, but nothing compared to Shear's rage.

"Look, I would hate to see you get severely injured," X-Ray said, "but we want answers to why you're playing the heroes in our territory. If you don't want to talk to us, then leave before I clobber you with my eyes."

Shear's groans became hisses in a quick transition. "Guitar! Deal with the British flag," she mandated. "The Latin chicken is all mine!"

"Sí, boss lady!"

With Runner Guitar battling Vav, Shear and X-Ray were ready to go up against each other. Shear went for her gloves and removed them. "As much as I hate doing this to an idiot like you, the gloves are coming off!" she roared.

"Oh, you're gonna do my nails?" X-Ray replied sarcastically, "Oh, I'm so scared."

With one flick from both of her wrists, ever nail on each of her ten fingers grew into a daggering, sword-length claw.

X-Ray's heart stopped beating and dropped into his stomach. "Well, shit. Now, I know why you're called Shear."

Vav and Runner's battle involved the air and the windows of the offices and apartments. "You can't run from me forever," was the synopsis of the fight along with Vav's panicked screams. All that ran through Vav's mind was what Mogar mentioned about this guy being very fast and that his voice could kill. Perhaps he could use Runner Guitar's speed to his advantage.

"Oy! Flat foot, I've been told you were much faster than this! What happened? Twisted your ankles or something?"

Runner Guitar's lungs tightened. "Oh, so you're taunting me? Big mistake, you British brat!"

Vav leapt from a fire escape to a flagpole and swung from it. Runner tripped on the metal and started looping around it like a ribbon. "Nice flips, mate, but aren't you supposed to be chasing me?"

Runner forced the flagpole with the speed of sound from his hands, and it snapped.

The metal stick was just above X-Ray's head, and after seeing it fall, he jumped away and lasered it towards Shear at the correct falling point. The blade nails of hers sliced right through the steel as if it was nothing. X-Ray even blasted more lasers than the usual, causing him to lose his footing. However, the leader of Supernatural Experiments kept dodging his attacks until she picked up her rival by the shirt to get them eye-to-eye.

"So you can fight after all. I'll give you that much credit, but if you ever sneak attack me like that again, I swear to Jesus, I'll make you regret you were ever born into this world! Capish?"

X-Ray gulped and nodded as sweat-tears of fright crawled down from his forehead to his chin. The claws broke through his shirt as he fell onto the concrete sidewalk. Mogar was right all along. He was more terrified of Shear than from the first time they met.

It was easy to say that the battle was better for Vav as he kept his challenger running and climbing. Vav was back on the ground while Runner glided down after him. Vav raised his hands to stop the boy from moving. "Hold on there, sonny. You'll tucker yourself out if you don't slow down."

"I swear, you son of a bitch! Let me go, or I'll scream!" the boy angrily shouted.

"Okay." Vav lowered his slow-so down to zero.

Runner was free, but all of his momentum had vanished. "Well, shit." He squealed like a baby on his way down until he corrupted the street with a meteor-sized hole.

Satisfied with himself, Vav cleared his gloves of the dust and debris. "I don't know about you, but I think I won this fight." Before Vav could exactly celebrate, he was suddenly vaulted into the air by his waist. When he was about to hit the ground, Vav was vaulted up again. The cycle occurred two more times before he was lifted to the roof. He was greeted by the chuckling Ghost Writer with the pen in between his fingers.

"My friends always wanted me to play the yo-yo as my talent. Who knew I could just write yo-yo in the air and it would bring me a runt?"

"Hey, I kicked your friend's ass! I'll do the same thing to…" The moment he turned around, he was face-to-face with a tired, yet agitated, Runner Guitar. "Oh…Please don't kill me! I have so much to live for!"

"Boys!" called Shear from the ground. "Put him down. I already gave his sorry friend a warning. He gets the same treatment."

Runner scoffed and glared into the Brit's eyes. "You got lucky 'cause we're letting you go. But I don't wanna see you again, got it?"

"Noted," Vav squeaked with a gasp.

Ghost Writer lowered himself and Vav towards X-Ray and dropped him next to his friend's body. Without saying anything else, Shear snaps and signals her boys to follow.

Vav pushed himself up to sitting, still gasping for breath. "X-Ray?"

"What?" answered his friend in question.

"Do you think Mogar knows who he's up against?"

"I think we tired them out long enough. Mogar will find this easy."

"So we almost got ourselves killed for Mogar to finish them off?"

"Hey, that's what heroes do, buddy. We do the hard work and let the less experienced eat the leftovers.

"I don't get why you let them go just like that, Shear," hissed Ghost Writer as the Supernatural Experiments continued to stroll the city.

"They're stupid, but they make sure this city stays in tact peace-wise," Shear explained. "Runner, did you scan them before they attacked us to say the least?"

"Only the one who let me crash into the pavement," he answered. "He's harmless. Besides, those morons have no clue why we're here in the first place. If they did, they would be scared crapless."

"That's not the reason to be suspicious?" questioned Ghost Writer.

"I guess…"

Shear came to a dead halt, and her arms became a blockade both Guitar and Writer bumped into.

"What the big idea, boss lady?"

"Shh! We're not alone here," she said quietly.

"What does that…"

Shear cut Writer off before he could finish. "Someone's watching us."

"Is it him?"

Her eyebrows arched. "No…"


	2. Episode 2: Tobukaze

The boys watched their paranoid leader search the streets. She said, "Someone's watching us.

Ghost Writer approached her asked, "Is it him?" shivering from the tailbone up.

Shear's eyes stung as her brows lowered. "No…it's not Tobukaze…It's one of them!" She thrashed her claws out and tossed the ambusher to the other side of the street, flopping him to his back.

Mogar pushed his sword into the pavement to return to his two booted feet. "Impressive hearing," he called out. "Just as I predicted. Nice nails by the way. Did you do those yourself?"

"Oh, so you got yourself an admirer, boss lady." Guitar laughed. "I expected him to have less hair though.

Writer snarled to Mogar, "If you're here to charm our leader like a snake, you have another thing coming to you, Jussie!"

"For your information, Bookworm, it's Mogar!" The bearman shot knives from his belt and they brought Shear's sidekicks to the wall, stuck like glue with the inability to release themselves or use their powers to fight back against him.

"Boys!" Shear freaked, shrieking at the top of her lungs. She growled at her new opponent as her eyes turn abnormally red and snapped, "What did you do?"

"If you wanna be a true hero, Shear, you have to learn how to fight fair. Three against one isn't a fair fight unless that villain deserves to get pummeled. Believe me when I say that I don't wanna hurt ya, and there's no villain here to fight, so…"

Ignoring the last part of the sentence, Shear roared and dashed towards Mogar with her claws ready to kill. "Imma slice you into bread crumbs, you dickbag!" As she scratched downward, Mogar swung his sword and held the nails up in the air. "Whuh? That's impossible! I can't cut this!"

"This is a diamond sword. It only gets damage when you crush it with a hammer!" Mogar shoves Shear onto the ground once again.

She bounced on the street twice, but Shear pushed herself back onto her two feet, deeply putting oxygen into her tired lungs. "Pretty prepared, aren't you? Well, I was given these powers to defeat anything that walks and talks!"

As they continued to slash and crash weapons, their conversation moved along with their bodies.

"Really?" Mogar said, "It's easy to say that you weren't born with them, right?"

"You're right," growled Shear, "I wasn't."

"Then, how did you get them? You and the boys?"

"That's none of your business!"

"Oh really? You're starting to look tired. My friends may not be as strong, but they know how to weaken your limbs."

"Friends? With those chickens? All they did was run for their scrawny little lives!"

"That's enough to make you fatigued, Shear. I suggest you stop thrashing like a little girl and listen to me."

Shear's heart pumped harder after hearing the word, "girl," escape from Mogar's throat. "I. Am. Not. A. Girl!" She tossed her arms forward, and it flipped the bearman backwards. She snickered in delight at the site of her opponent on the concrete, but as she approached him, her legs started to give right on out. "What? Come on, Shear, move." Her lungs grew tighter the more she breathed. Her throat burned as if fire was put into her mouth. The more she gulped, the more she choked. Runner and Ghost hung against the wall, watching in shock and guilt, wishing they could've gotten out of the knives without a problem to help their leader. Her eyes stung dry as she stared at the cracks in the asphalt. "I don't get it. I never lose. I bring everyone down."

"Including yourself," Mogar finished, slowly getting back up to standing. He slowly and nonchalantly walked to Supernatural Experiments' leader, gesturing his hand to assist her on standing once again. "Like I said, I didn't want to hurt you. I just wanted you to calm down."

Shear growled and turned the other cheek.

Mogar took out his notebook, ripped a piece of paper out of it, and approached Ghost Writer. "Do me a favor and write a little message for me, will ya?" Once the sidekick did that, the bearman returned to the leader and dropped the note into her hands. "Just talk to me. No groups. Just one and one with milkshakes. Think about it, will ya?" Before she could even respond, Mogar leaps into the air, snatches onto a flagpole, and leaps onto the rooftop.

Normally, the first thing she would do after a fight was round up her boys and leave elsewhere, but Shear couldn't even stand on her own two feet after witnessing her opponent jump on her and leave as if nothing ever happened. Everyone in the city knew when Mogar was done with something, he would move on to the next, but of course, Shear had never knew a lone hero like that one. Her anger had left her a while back ago. Confuzzlement roamed around her brain like a ribbon that would never untie because Mogar made sure it was tied tightly. "What is he up to anyway?" she grumbled to herself. "Alone? Milkshakes? What's his deal with me?"

"Uh, boss lady? Can you help us down now?"

By the next afternoon, X-Ray and Vav had a series of errands to run after the battle with Supernatural Experiments, and it all took place in one location, Monarch Labs, a company inspired by the wonders of invention and science, where these two got their start as official superheroes. The woman who ran the company was none other than their friends, Hilda, who was once just a mere inventor but now was the CEO, and her first creation and robot assistant, Orf. Like Mogar, Hilda was a no-nonsense person, but unlike Mogar, Hilda would actually point out X-Ray and Vav's flaws whenever she had the opportunity. That didn't stop her from assisting them with saving the city whenever the time came around.

"I cannot believe this is how I'm going to spend my lunch break," she snarled as she carefully sewed X-Ray's shirt back together. "Do you have any idea how expensive these uniforms are?"

"Don't blame me, princess," mocked X-Ray as he sat patiently on the invention table. "Edwarda Scissorhands couldn't keep her hands off me even if she tried!"

"You're making it sound like she wanted to get into your pants other than battling against each other for hero's glory," she grumbled.

"Please! I'm too high maintenance for someone who doesn't have to go to the nail salon every few months."

"So what exactly were you two doing, putting yourselves in a life or death situation with those Supernatural freaks anyway?"

Vav answered, "We were only a distraction for Mogar to get answers from them. We want to know why they're doing our dirty laundry in this city."

"Well, I have been reading a lot about them in the news lately. If there's one thing they don't like, that's media attention."

"Plus, us."

"I'm sure after you guys did whatcha did." Hilda snipped the thread from the rest of the shirt after forming the final knot. "There, you should be more approachable now, X-Ray."

X-Ray hopped off the table and stared into the mirror. A frown complimented the rest of his outfit at the moment. "How long is it gonna take 'til I get my replacement?" he questioned worriedly.

"A couple weeks. I told you, the fabric is expensive, and the money can't afford new ones right now."

"Great. How do I get the girls to talk to me with a deformed X on my chest?"

"Start with buying a better attitude?"

"Ha ha, freakin' hilarious, Hilda."

Orf hovered over to X-Ray and gleefully said, "I think you look quite handsome, Mr. X-Ray."

"Thanks, Orf," he said, "Thanks for trying to cheer me up."

"My pleasure, Mr. X-Ray." She floated over to Vav and placed a cup of tea on the coffee table. "This should help you recover your chills, Mr. Vav."

"Thanks, Orf. I'm starting to think I'm getting a…a…AAAACHOO! Cold." Vav fell against the back of the couch, feeling slightly nauseous. "Who knew being yo-yoed could get you sick?"

"It's gonna be okay, Mr. Vav. All you gotta do is rest for a bit, and you'll be back to saving the city in no time."

"I sure hope so."

The doors opened to the sides, and slightly happier Mogar entered the room, taking a seat next to Vav, not aware of his friend's slight sickness.

"By George, you seem pretty proud of yourself," pointed out Vav.

"Mogar!" excitedly said X-Ray, "Did you get the goods on them? We haven't seen ya since last night."

Mogar only heavily sighed.

"Uh oh," Hilda said, slightly laughing, "I know that look on a man's face anywhere. I think he got more than the information you were looking for."

With that said, Mogar's eyes flickered open and squinted the next second. "Whatever it is you think I got out of it, it was nothing like that. To answer your question, yes, I got the information."

"What exactly is it? I didn't think Shear would talk to you so easily," Vav replied.

"Unlike you guys, I decided to take the gentle approach."

X-Ray chuckled. "Wow, Mogar. Gentle would be the last thing to call you."

"You'd be surprised. Anyway, so this morning, I met up with Shear alone at the café. Business was slow on Thursdays, so it was the perfect place to talk in quiet."

Mogar had doubt that Shear was actually going to talk to him after tricking her last night. Why he decided to wait was clear as day: he never fell back on a deal with anyone, whether it was mutual or not. He agreed to himself that if she didn't show up ten minutes after the appointed time he planned, which was ten o'clock, he would have to break the bad news to X-Ray and Vav. At the moment he was leaning against the telephone pole, it was ten o'nine. "Sounds like she's not coming after all. Seems like my nice approach isn't…"

"Hey!" He turned towards the voice and was struck with Shear's new outfit. Instead of the battlesuit he met her for the first time in, Shear looked more approachable and adorable in booty shorts, white sandal heels, and a graphic crop tee to match. What wasn't different were the white bow that tied her hair in a bun and her gloves that made sure her nails didn't pop out into the open. Unbeknownst to her, Mogar was a huge fan of it. "Were you just leaving? Sorry, I'm late."

Mogar quickly snapped out of his tunnel vision and responded nervously, "Actually, I thought to wait for you out here. It's kinda cold to wait inside with all the cooling and stuff." His cheeks pinkened like strawberry-flavored macaroons.

"Aw, there's no need to be nervous," Shear said, giggling. "I have a more controlled temper than you think. Besides, I'm off hero duty…or at least I was until I had to put some pervert in his place."

"So you still wear the gloves?"

"You never know who wants to play dirty with you. You don't know how hard it is being a woman looking the way I do, you know."

"No doubt about it," Mogar replied, "and how should I know about being a man looking at a woman looking the way you do?"

"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way."

Inside the café and once they settled in, milkshakes and all, Mogar had to get himself back to business. Still, he couldn't stop acting so coy while Shear was having so much fun. For a person who used to be just a normal girl, she never was so excited about trying a milkshake for the first time in her life.

"Mmm! Whoever put milk and strawberry ice cream together is a genius!" Shear cheerfully stated. "What do they call this stuff again?"

"Uh, a milkshake."

"Makes so much sense. It's mostly milk, but you add flavor and shake it all up."

If Shear were an average person, Mogar would've facepalmed in seconds, but that girl was not your typical girl at all. She had to be a person who was isolated for a long time and never really had time to hang out with friends or anything. They had just started their "business date," and Mogar was already discovering that Shear wasn't so far different from himself either. Still, if Mogar knew better, he wasn't there to make this girl look cute in front of the public.

"So, now that you are settled in and satisfied, why don't you tell me who this person is that you and your boys are looking for. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is a cesspool of crime, and you just leave the villains you don't want on the ground to suffer. Look, I'm not a local hero in this town either, but your case has me baffled."

Shear started to stir her shake around in the tall glass. "Not like you would understand either way. We're not hoping to look for a villain at all, but that's what we keep running into."

"Oh? This person you're looking for isn't a bad guy?"

She shook her head.

Mogar put his elbows on the table and sat his chin on his hands. "Then, tell me your story."

Shear gulped harshly and glared into his eyes. "Supernatural Experiments wasn't supposed to exist. That title was the name of a science fair that arrived at our school a few years ago. Runner was a huge follower and always wanted to go to one of those fairs, so I bought tickets for all four of us."

"All four?"

"Me, Ghost Writer, Guitar, and the last one, Tobukaze, to fly the wind. We all attended the fair, and there was this one panel that was doing free tryouts for their new inventions. We were the lucky ones chosen to try them out. I was the one to have this machine that helps nails grow for those who can't grow them on their own. Ghost found the machine that works with your thoughts to make your stories and commands come to life with writing. Runner tried on these metal shoes that gave him speed and time control along with a collar that gave him a boost in vocal volume. Tobukaze was the one who had this helmet, which was actually a video to test time and eyesight. It was all fun and games until something went wrong."

"So wrong that you all know have powers."

Shear nodded once. "No one knew what to do with us after that. They started affecting our school lives to the point that we were monsters instead of average students, so those who were in charge of the fair took us to their labs in order to study our patterns and help us train our powers to keep them under our control. Runner, Writer, and I took it pretty easy. Tobukaze…not so much."

"What made him lose it?" asked Mogar.

"He became very close with a scientist named Dawn. No, he was in love with her. She was the only person in the lab who knew how to keep Tobukaze out of the stress zone. Everything he did was to impress her. One day, he kept us awake all night because he said that Dawn was going to die, and if we didn't protect her, we were going to lose her. Tobukaze had these visions like flies. Their eyesight can see time occur much faster more than us, and that was the power he got. Most of those instances were diverted, but not this one. Dawn was a test subject for a new invention they were testing, and it exploded in the lab. She didn't make out alive, and Tobukaze…he…he…"

The bearman bowed his heart. Never was his heart so heavy until he heard that.

Shear's eyes were bloodshot red at this point. "The day after, we was gone. We kept hearing news reports about people getting murdered and beaten by some mysterious man. All of them were suspects of other crimes, but they weren't even put on trial yet. We had to do something, so that was how Runner Guitar, Ghost Writer, and I became the Supernatural Experiments. I'm scared, Mogar. I'm scared he'll hurt himself. Tobukaze's not a bad person. He's going through a mourning phase because he lost the love of his life to a situation we could've stopped, but we didn't. It's our fault this happened, and now, we have to fix it before something really bad happens."

Mogar scratched the back of his neck slowly and harshly. "I am so sorry to hear that. I know how much it hurts to be looking for someone, not knowing if they themselves will be alive at the end of the day. But if I can tell you one thing, Shear, none of this was your fault. Even if he could see future events, sometimes, it's impossible to prevent them. So…Tobukaze means a lot to you, huh?"

The leader cracked her knuckles. "We literally grew up together. It was a rainy, summer night and we were twelve years old. Someone was banging on the door, and Mom answered to find him weak on our doorstep. She took him in as if she was her own son, and we grew up as siblings. We shared the same classes, attended the same school clubs, and we were both fans of parkour. We even attended the same college together. It was just Tobukaze and me. No one else was going to get in between us, not even the friends I have now. It was my job to protect him, and he was supposed to protect me." Her voice began to croak as her tears fell onto the table like raindrops on the windowpane. "I feel like such a failure at this point, Mogar. If I were a great sister, I would never have gone to that science fair! He would never have to suffer with that curse of a power he has now. That's why I'm here. I'm here to get my brother back. I just want my brother back." She looked down at her gloved hands. "We haven't seen our mother in years because she never raised children with…with…"

Mogar forcefully grabbed both of her hands into his own. "Stop telling yourself that right now. You are more than what you just described yourself, your brother, and your two best friends. A hero isn't a person who will do anything to stop the past from giving you guys a future you never wanted. A hero is a person who will do anything to make sure to make their present a good one no matter the situation. Shear, Mogar promises that you three are doing the right thing, and Mogar will stop at nothing to make sure your mission is complete. Believe me!"

Shear's face returned to white in seconds. Her heart couldn't stop pounding, and her eyes were wiped dry from the tears in thin air. The oval vision she had blurred into the shape of a wide heart the more she looked into Mogar's sincere eyes. The more she tried to rid of it, the pinker the outside of the heart was getting. Shear could barely breathe. She shook her head a couple of times and finally replied, "Mogar…you were the first person I ever told that story to. I…I didn't think I would tell it to a total stranger, nonetheless anybody."

Mogar smiled slightly. "How about we call ourselves friends and call it even?"

"Well, if you wanna be my friend, you're gonna have to work out with my boys. They mean everything now that we're here and you want to assist us."

"I'm sure I'll manage. However, if you want me to help you, you're gonna have to do something with me in return."

"So you mean to tell us that the Super Freak Show needs us to find this guy called Tobukaze?" X-Ray exclaimed as soon as Mogar was finished with his explanation.

"You said you needed info, and you also said you wanted them out of your city," Mogar responded, "The faster we find out whether he's here or not, the faster they'll leave, so don't screw it up, jerk."

"Maybe, X-Ray, if you showed Shear some kindness and apologize," spoke Vav, "she'll forgive you and be nice."

"For once, I agree with Vav on this one," Hilda butted in quickly.

X-Ray puffed his cheeks full of air like a hamster with food in its mouth. "Fine, we can talk, but if she wants to play dirty, I'll be more than glad to play along."

"Trust me, X-Ray, Shear is most likely feeling the same way about you after you attacked her for no reason." A buzzer rattled the room with a red light flashing on the wall. "Orf, sounds like they're here. Do you mind letting them in, please?"

"No problem!" cheered the floating orb. She dashed to the side doors and scanned it open to let in all three members of the Supernatural Experiments. "Welcome to Monarch Laboratories, Supernatural Experiments. My name is Orf, Hilda's personal robot assistant. It is a pleasure to have you."

Runner Guitar's eyes lit up, and a smile was put right smack on his face. "Aw! Look, guys! It's a tiny robot! It's so cute!"

"Careful, Guitar," Ghost Writer mocked, "You'll overload it with your high-pitched super voice."

"Hilda programmed me to withstand any frequency. Now, I will go and fetch your snacks and refreshments. Please excuse me."

After Orf flies out of the lab, Shear rolled her eyes back towards the others. "Well, now you see that my friend is so easily fascinated. I came here for business, not to take a tour of RoboLand."

"As you should," Hilda replied, gesturing to the couch. Mogar gave up his seat for Shear to sit in the middle. He gave Hilda a nod as he leaned against the wall.

Shear cleared her throat as she glared at the city's main duo. "So, X-Ray and Vav, you friend, Mogar, here explained everything about your justice-bringing and all that, so I talked to my boys about it, and…we decided to let you help us with our mission. I'm sure Mogar told you what that is."

X-Ray crossed his arms. "Yup. He did, and all I can say is what a sob story."

Shear stretched her arms to the side, crossed her legs, and responded, "Call it whatever you want, but mocking the purpose will not solve your fit of jealous rage."

"Believe me, the last thing I'm feeling is jealous. I just don't trust you."

"Well, I do," Vav interrupted.

"Vav? Are you serious?"

"I am!" he snapped. "These three are looking for their friend. Whether he's a villain or not, it's our job to bring peace to those who need it. If we don't do something…I personally can't say no. If it were us in this situation, I would want someone to help me." Vav bowed his whole upper body towards the leader of the group. "Miss Shear, I accept your offer to join you on your quest…even if X-Ray isn't…"

"Well, if Vav is going, I'm going. The last time I checked, we were X-Ray and Vav, not X-Ray or Vav."

Vav's smile returned to his British face.

Mogar announced, "I shall join you as well. If what Shear said about Tobukaze is the truth, then he is very unpredictable and very agitated. You guys need back up."

For the first time in front of X-Ray and Vav, all three kids grinned from ear to ear, and it wasn't a snicker on each of them. Shear stood from her spot and said, "Well then, this was easier than anticipated. You are officially a part of team Supernatural Experiments…temporarily."

"Well then," spoke Hilda, "Since you guys are on our side, I hope you don't mind some upgrades." She propped opened a white cabinet that a large, yellow yield sign on the front. "I knew these were going to come in handy someday. I've wanted to try these out for a while, but since you're the masters of the elements, this would be easy. Runner, I designed for you some cuffs to keep your momentum going even when stopped. Also, the force from your palms will be twice as powerful."

Runner punched the air towards a pile of boxes. The center caved in and the tower collapsed onto the floor. "Hallelujah! This is awesome!" he shouted gleefully, punching the sky.

"And for Writer, this pen is not like the others you've touched. This pen will never run out of ink because once used, it can be recycled, so your imagination is limitless."

Ghost Writer looked down at his new silver pen and wrote, " _136-kilogram weight_." A giant hunk of metal crushed some leftover boxes easily. "Ah, splendid, so much better than stupid ballpoint."

"And last but not least, Shear, you got a special new pair of gloves."

Shear scowled at the new handwear that matched the color of her skin as Hilda slipped them on. "What? My sidekicks get actual weapons, and I get skintone fashion wear?"

"Not just that. These are gloves that will control your nails and make it seem you have nothing to hide. Tear resistant-" She poured some water onto her hands. "-and stain resistant."

"Okay, you know how to make things one hundred times better, Hilda. I'm a fan of 'em already."

"Hey!" snapped X-Ray, "What about my new suit?"

The scientist punched him straight in the chest, and the green-suited hero fell backwards onto the floor. The others stood and sat there laughing their asses off as they watched poor X-Ray struggle to get back up from the scrap boxes.

Outside, little did every person in the lab know that someone, a certain someone, was watching them. His shadow cloaked the window in front of the body. He was coated in darkness except for his glowing red eyes that could kill if looks could do the same. The more he watched them, the colder his heart was getting. However, deep inside it, the more he glared at smiling Mogar, a fiery rage was growing…growing…growing.


	3. Episode 3: How to Catch a Fly

By the time morning rose again, X-Ray, Vav, Mogar, and the Supernatural Experiments met up to meet a very close friend of the original duo's. He appeared in a ton of places, but his hideout rested under the highway where the billboard that advertised Headlight Fluid was always posted. If luck was on their side, the man should be in his box and not wandering about.

"Wow, what a way to spend the search for some psycho," commented X-Ray, leaping from the bridge to the ground.

Vav said, "We go to Rusty for everything, X-Ray. He's our main source of information." He followed his friend right onto the dirt.

Shear was about to take her jump until Mogar took her by the waist and leapt for the both of them. "Oh no, you don't. The last thing you should be is filthy after that leap."

"I've suffered through worse, Mogar. Did you think I was gonna fall on my pretty face?" she replied.

A thud made the ground shake for a second or two. Runner had misjudged the distance and landed flat on his front side like a pancake. Tiny birds flew in circles around his head.

"Perhaps not as much as I was originally concerned," answered Mogar, scratching the back of his head.

Shear giggled and gifted him a kiss on the cheek. "Don't wimp out now, Bear Warrior. It's not as attractive as your defensive demeanor." Mogar slumped forward and followed her slowly as she continued to blush.

Runner Guitar returned to standing and brushed off the dirt from his outfit.

His partner floated right down next to him with the word, "Float," carrying him down next to the kid. "I told you to grab the "Float," but you decided to show off and almost commit suicide."

"I can't stand that prick. He's around our boss lady's little finger with his powerful strength, paced agility…"

"Sounds like someone's jealous."

"Jealous? Of that cream puff? I'd rather be more jealous of a dog begging for Shear's attention!"

Ghost Writer crossed his arms and glared into Runner Guitar's eyes. "Well, I know what you're thinking. You're gonna try to get yourself into sticky situations on this trip just so she can either A) save your butt or B) she can look at you like a precious doll."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he responded, "All we're doing is finding Tobukaze, so we can dump these losers and go home! The last thing we want is for Shear to get too attached."

"Or what? That Mogar guy isn't bad. You said so yourself when you scanned him. Plus, those two guys in the onesies can't even hurt a housefly if they tried. Yeah, Kermit the Frog has a short temper, but I don't think he'll hurt Shear unless he wants to at this point."

Runner gave him the death glance. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Runner, for the last time, she's a woman, and she's not going to get herself hurt again. Get over it!"

"Grumble, grumble, shit, grumble."

Vav had just knocked on the box, and it shuffled for a second or two before the human inside lifted it up from the ground to show his face. "Goddamn, still not Kevin. You guys again?"

"Sorry to interrupt your private time, Rusty," groaned X-Ray, "but we need a profile on a certain someone you might've seen lately."

Inside, which happened to be a lot bigger like the TARDIS, all of our heroes have been seated at the table as Rusty is searching for the Tobukaze profile the Supernatural Experiments need. Every time Mogar looked across the table at Runner Guitar, the latter turned away as if something was distracting him from the mission. Instead of blowing his top, Mogar kept quiet as they waited for the results.

"Hate to break to ya, guys," Rusty said, "but I haven't gotten anything on anyone called, "Tobukaze.""

Shear sat back in her chair sighed heavily. "Well, so much for that."

"Hey, cheer up, doll. Maybe he's here, but he doesn't like to be seen. I'm an investigator of the streets, you know. Nothing slips past me."

"Rusty's right," Vav intervenes, "If we can't, he sure can."

Shear couldn't help but stare down at her new gloves. Mogar patted her on the back and said, "We're not giving up yet. If this guy can't come out in the broad daylight, I can only assume he pleasures to roam at night."

"Oh yeah." Rusty recalled, "Bad guys love to cause trouble when everyone's asleep."

"We got that part down," butted in Guitar, "but we still need a plan to catch him. Tobukaze can sense your every move before you even think it."

X-Ray stood up. "But, ah, you underestimate us, young padawan. If he were a real villain, he would recognize every possibility, not just only the logical ones."

"So of course, we'll follow your stupid plans?" Writer questioned.

Vav hopped onto the table and hit his head on the light. "Ow! Exactly that! You gotta catch the fly where he won't be able to see it."

X-Ray replied, "Now, that I think about it. Before we do make it clear we own this town, we gotta make him come after us."

The sunset was approaching on the city as the groups of two, X-Ray and Vav, Guitar and Writer, and Mogar and Shear, sat on three separate rooftops to get a complete overview of the streets below them. All of them were focused at the beginning, but as soon as the sun disappeared, X-Ray and Vav were already sleeping, and Writer punched himself to stay awake. Guitar was fully awake, glaring at Mogar and Shear across the block. The two were too distracted with their conversation to notice the third wheel.

"My mom used to make these cupcakes…well, not really cupcakes, but she would put sausage, cheese, just about anything in them, for lunch. We would just sit around the table and talk about our days like everybody else."

"That sounds nice," Mogar said.

Shear nodded. "Do you still talk to your mom?"

"I do. She raised me since I was a child. She made sure I learned how to survive out in the world like this. It's not always kind to you, you know."

The girl looked down at the street.

"Oh, I didn't mean to bring that to mind! I apologize if I…"

"No. It's alright. It's nice to have a mom who'll accept you no matter what comes her way."

"Shear, don't talk like that. Have you tried talking to your mother?"

She jerked her head, gifting him the death glance. "You don't know what she was like. She raised us to be the perfect kids. What's perfect about these?" With one shake, there came the claws. "She gave birth a girl, not a cat!"

"Mine didn't ask for a human child, but she couldn't care more."

Shear's eyes flickered open, her nails returning to normal. "Your mother's not human?"

"No." He stood up and presented himself. "What gave you that thought?"

Her cheeks colored red in seconds. "Oh, god! I did it again."

"Did what again?"

Shear began to tremble as if there was an earthquake. "I act like I can read people, but I can't, and I end up hurting them. I'm sorry."

Mogar knelt down to her and lifted her chin. "Hey, do not cry. It's quite a big world out here. A lot more people will accept you more than those who won't the more you keep protecting them. If you wanna get there, let's start here. I don't care about these…" He pointed to her hands. "My only cares rest in the kindness in your heart. You went so far out of your journey to get your friend back. That has to be the most heroic gesture I have ever seen in all of my years of heroics deeds even I have done. Most friendships that lead to hero/villain rivalry conclude with someone either dead or behind bars. I hope for your life and Tobukaze's that's not either of you."

Shear's face was white as a pillow sheet. Her mouth hung open, but nothing came out of it. "Mogar, thank you," she wanted to say, but she couldn't even get the guts to even do so. There was something else on her mind that overpowered that thank you. The more she stared into Mogar's bold, brown eyes, the weaker she got. Her throat closed and seemed to open if she had to vomit. She could feel her face boil like a pot of water on a fired up stove. That all halted when a gush of wind brushed her shoulders. She knew…she knew…

"Shear!"

She ducked and swords clashed right over her head. Shear looked up to see that both Mogar and Runner were pushed up against a shadowy figure with two blades. The boys pushed back with full force, knocking the figure backwards.

"Do civilians never learn not to sneak attack Mogar?" the bearman growled.

"If it weren't for my scream, hotshot, he would've killed you," hissed Guitar.

"More like scared the life out of your leader."

"Will you two stop fighting?" snapped the leader. She pushed Mogar and Runner to the side and glared at the shadow. "So you discovered us after all…Tobukaze. What took you so long?"

The shadow only got up to his knees, and his deep chuckle brought chills to every spine in the area. Once his copper, scarred face came into view, his laughing halted, and that sneaky, pearl-white grin vanished. "Ah, I knew that form was you, Sister Shear. And I see you made a new friend. A _boyfriend_ perhaps?"

Mogar slashed his sword down on the roof and hissed, "For a man who's supposed to be her sister, you have the complete audacity to swipe at her."

"She's a danger to this world, bearman. Do you not see that?"

"Shear? A danger? Don't tell us that you think she's going to try to kill you!" snapped Runner.

"Not just her, Guitar." Tobukaze swipes his blades at him, but he dodged just in the nick of time. "All three of you. If that means your new ally include, so be it."

"I'd think twice before saying that!" X-Ray announced as he lasered Tobukaze to another rooftop. The duo landed in front of the others just as Ghost Writer appeared to find out what just happened. "If there's one thing you don't do, that's mess with my team, asshole!"

The dark one slowly sits back up and shakes his head, cracking it back into place. "Ah, the infamous X-Ray and Vav." He chuckles twice. "I've heard so little about you."

"Oh really?" mocks Vav, "You've been the talk of the town as of late, and not too bright of a conversation at that. Better little good publicity than the whole town afraid of you."

"Oh, trust me, my little Russian friend, I'll sure know what'll come to me once I rid the evil in this town. Starting with you!" Tobukaze thrashes his arm to the side, and a wave pushes X-Ray and Vav into the edge of the roof.

"Nobody calls me Russian and hits us with a weak blow like that! Take this!" Vav lifts his hands to stop Tobukaze from coming any closer, but the villain avoids the attack with ease. He glides over, yanking the blade from his side. "Whoa, he's fast!"

"That's what you get when you have been cursed!"

From his left side, Runner Guitar kicks Tobukaze away from X-Ray and Vav with force and pins him down to the rooftop. "If you're gonna use wit and speed as tools, Tobukaze, you better think again."

He cringes at first, but seconds later, he begins to snicker. "Actually, no. Considering it's you, Runner, I knew you were going to do that, so…" Tobukaze pushes his old friend's rear end towards the northern end of the platform, which leads to Runner tripping and managing to grip onto the ledge before the downfall.

"Well, this is shit," is all he can say.

His opponent approaches him again and marks his foot on his right hand. Runner wants to let go, but his life depends on him holding on for dear life. "You can't hold on forever, old friend. I can squeeze even harder if you want the challenge!"

"I don't understand, TK! I'm your best friend! Why do you want me to suffer?"

"Oh, believe me, RG, I don't, but it's all for the sake of the world. With how you guys are handling things, you're only going to destroy it."

"We're heroes! We don't destroy the world. We help it!"

"Exactly my point." He presses on the hand even harder until Runner can't hold on with it much longer. His left still grips in the balance.

Shear screams, "Runner! Keep holding on!" signalling that Mogar is going to help him.

"I don't need help, boss lady!" he snaps, trying to dismiss his rival. "I need to concentrate!"

Tobukaze laughs. "Still stubborn as the usual, Runner. Too bad that's going to kill you in a few seconds." He almost has his foot stamp on the other hand until Mogar charges at him from the right and knocks him over. "Ow! My ribs!"

Mogar snatches Runner Guitar's hand from the ledge and pulls the boy back onto the surface. "Next time, don't be a fool," is all the bearman can say about the predicament.

"Runner, are you okay?" Ghost Writer and Shear call out.

"No!" Runner snaps, "I think my right hand is broken."

"This isn't the last you've seen of me," Tobukaze growls. "You might have won this battle, but the war for justice will be mine in the end, so don't get in my way unless you want me to kill you, too." With that said and done, he zooms up and into the sky until he can't be seen again.

"Yeah, that's right, asshole!" shouts X-Ray, crawling over to the others, "You better run like a coward!"

"Oh, he'll be back, guys," Shear informs. "If there's one thing I know about him, he doesn't quit so easily."

"Well, if one thing is certain, he's a fast thinker," replies Vav.

"So, dumb one, did you get the information we need to beat this guy?" Mogar questions to Guitar.

"I would've if you didn't charge in and act like the know-it-all of combat!" he hisses.

Ink stamps the word, "Smack," on his forehead as Ghost Writer whips the pen at him. "Look," he mandates, "I want the both of you to stop it. Arguing about who is the better fighting is going to solve absolutely nothing. Clearly. Tobukaze knows more about X-Ray and Vav than we thought, so, X-Ray, your dumbfounded schemes to beating him better work the next time around."

"Oh, trust me," X-Ray groans, clutching onto this side, "I have plenty in store for him. As soon as we meet again, I'll beat his ass until there's nothing left of it."

Shear can't help but stare into the distance. _I don't understand_ , she says to herself. _He looked so happy to almost destroy us. Have his powers consumed him that much? Has he finally reached the point of no return? Tobukaze, no…_

A hand touches her shoulder, and she turns to see Mogar also staring out into the distance. "Do not fear, Shear," he says deeply, "He won't get away with his behavior. Once you show him the light, darkness will be corrupted under our shoes."

Runner tags the other side. "Yeah, and he'll be normal again like us. Darkness won't…win."

X-Ray and Ghost smack their foreheads in embarrassment.

"You're right, you two. We need to help Tobukaze, not hurt him." Shear starts cracking her knuckles. "We need to get into his head out of all things…My only concern is how. I haven't been the best speaker."

Vav taps his chin and starts shaking. "I know a person, but we might regret it in the long wrong. The last time we saw him, he almost tried to destroy the city."

X-Ray snaps, "There is no way we are going to be allowed to see him again, Vav!"

"Maybe not us, but these three are newbies, and clearly, they won't fall for any of Tobukaze's logic. This guy will be the ultimate test."

Runner leans his upper body to Shear and mutters, "Do you have any idea what these two are talking about?"

She can only shrug.

"I do a little too well of their person, and as much as I hate to admit it, he is the only person who can teach the art of getting into someone's head."

"Who is he?" she questions.

"As soon as you see him, Shear, you have to call him, "Your Majesty." You have to get him on his good side, for if you do not, he's the least of help you are going to get."


	4. 4: Remember All Evil, Friend All Evil

The mental asylum is a damp dark place for those of the unclear mind. X-Ray and Vav warn the Supernatural Experiments about the mind games of the Mad King, a former villain who was taken out after the duo and Mogar settled yet another score with him. He was known to put ideas into people's heads and make them seem right when they weren't. Mogar knew for a fact that he would put notions in poor Shear's head because she's the head of the group, so he advised all three of the heroes to choose their actions and visitors wisely. "There are three rules that you should follow that many have failed times before. Mogar begs of you to never repeat history. Do not cross the line to his cell. Do not accept any items from him. Most importantly, do not answer any questions he asks of you. Answering them in any way will put you under his spell. Someone at the desk will tell you the same thing, but believe me when I say that people will forget for the sake of getting answers from him."

"What do you mean I have to stay back?" hisses Runner Guitar as he stomps the ground twice.

Shear keeps staring at the metal door with the guards standing in front of it. "If what X-Ray, Vav, and Mogar said is true, which I have no doubt it is at this point, we need people who will most likely obey the rules to this man's madness. No offense to you, RG, but you are the one who tends to jump to conclusions the fastest, and that's the last thing we need right now."

"Boss lady, if what those…people said was true, he will try to hurt you, too. I will kill him myself if I have to."

"And get us arrested, too?" Ghost Writer snarls. He writes the words, "Sit down," with his pen, and the magic pushes Runner onto the bench. "Sorry, amigo, but I'm forcing you to sit one out."

"My advice, don't tell them that."

"Trust me, Guitar, I know what I'm doing. Shear needs a sturdy ladder to climb up to the top."

"Come on, Writer," says Shear, "We're wasting time."

The boy give one last nod to each other before Ghost Writer takes his pen and hides it in his suit pocket inside the jacket. He takes Shear by the arms as the guards open the door wide open for them to enter. They slowly approach the bolded red and yellow line that has been almost recently painted on the floor. Ghost Writer whispers, "Do not look him in the eyes," as softly as he could but still loud enough for Shear to hear and take the advice. A shadow comes lurking from the dark and into the dim light which is the only source of it in the cell. A man with graying hair and roughed up skin appears at the glass of the cell with a conniving grin as if plastered there by an artist. His hands were bony but had some strength to them still. His jumpsuit was clean as a whistle yet his filthy heart rested underneath his skin. This is the Mad King trapped by his own evil cage.

"Ah, isn't this nice?" the Mad King slowly says, "Fresh blood to a town such as this one. Doing charity work, I suppose?"

Neither Shear nor Ghost Writer moves a single inch in any part of their bodies.

"I suppose not. Young people don't do anything for the criminals or the insane. I should've known that, considering where _I_ have ended up."

Ghost Writer jerks his head forward. "I'm looking at you, and you sound like a man who would know anything and everything despite what you're telling us."

"Am I?"

No one speaks again.

"Oh, that's right. You've been told not to answer any of my questions. How dumb of me. I should've known that I would get a bunch of smart kids."

Shear clenches her fists. "We think you know someone who just came into town. Does the name Tobukaze ring a bell to you?"

"A nice ring perhaps, but I'm afraid it doesn't do justice. I _highly_ apologize."

"Why would someone people like us pity such horrible criminals like you?" snaps Shear.

"You're right, my dear. But if that's the case, why are you hear? Why do you need _my_ help?"

Ghost Writer pushes his leader back from speaking. "Whatever your game is, Your Majesty, we ain't playin'. You don't know where Tobukaze is clearly, so we're gonna go. Have a nice eternity."

"Why so nasty? I was only being honest." The Mad King shrugs as he backs away. "I never said I didn't know where this Tobukaze was. I just said it's hard to know who he is. I don't know him personally."

"So you're deciding to play on our side?"

"Which side is there to pick at this point? I'm trapped in the strongest glass of a cell there is. These people want to make sure that no one gets out alive."

Shear grumbles, "I still don't pity you. Just tell us where we can find him."

"Now, why should I tell you something like that about a person who would rather not be found?"

 _Because you're our only source of information_ , Shear wants to say, but not a word escapes from her throat.

"You know, for some people so desperate to find your companion, you act as if you don't want to at all since you would rather ignore my questions."

Shear's eyes burn the moment those words ring in her head. "What did you just say, you ingrate?"

"Shear, don't," warns her friend.

"Let her talk," the Mad King replies, snickering. "She deserves to have her say in this."

Ghost whispers in her ear, "This is a trap, Shear. He just wants to get to you."

"I know," she growls.

"Grab onto something."

"What's the matter, kids?" taunts the Mad King. "Need your parents to tell you want to say next?"

Ghost Writer shoots a terrifying glare at the imprisoned man. "One more comment like that, and we are so outta here."

"Alright, alright, fine. All I can say is that this Tobukaze loves to not stay in one place. Still in town, mostly probably, but the exact location is unknown to me. All I can recall is footsteps outside of those walls right behind me. I can hear him talk to himself sometimes. Nothing interesting in my opinion. Just about how better his life would be if he never have met a certain someone known as…his sister."

"You bastard!" Shear screams as she aims for the cell door.

Immediately, Ghost Writer wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her back. "I warned you," he growls and takes Shear back to the door to exit.

"I want to kill him," Shear hisses.

"As do I, but that's not how we're doing this. It's time to go."

"Remember, Shear, wherever he is," calls out the Mad King, "he most likely doesn't want to be found as I said. Perhaps, your friendly days have ended. I suggest you move on, or else he's going to overpower you in that tiny memory portion of your brain. If he's the only thing that comes to mind, you might as well survive on your own instead of having your little friend do your sorry bidding."

"Like hell he will!" Shear screams at the top of her lungs, shaking the room a bit.

Ghost Writer snatches his boss lady by the arms and pulls her out of the cell room. A distracted Runner Guitar loses his focus on playing with his fingers to see the struggle happening right in front of the bench. He's about to ask what happened, but looking at the expression on Ghost Writer's face forces him to sit back down and wait. Once the door shuts behind them, the disappointed one snaps, "What was that? I thought you had your shit together."

Her body continues to tremble even after Writer's release. Her throat is warm with angered air, and her heart races like a horse in the plains. Her eyesight ends up going blind for a second before speaking again. "I don't know," she responds honestly. "I had it, but something…clicked, and…" She looks over at both of her boys, and her knees begin to weaken. "I don't even know anymore. I lost my train of thought."

"Shear, will you calm down?" Runner asks, begging for mercy. "You're going to lose it."

"Just…leave me be!" Shear forces her companion out of her path and dashes for the the only entrance and exit to the establishment with her friends shouting her name right behind her. Her ears close off to the voices to the best of her ability as her hands cover them from sight of others. Even if people are staring, she could care less. Her only concern is to get away from the man who has just poisoned her thoughts. _I should never have gone. What was I thinking?_

The sole place that Shear can use as a quiet, isolated place is up above the city streets. Chilly and afraid, she sits on the edge of the roof, watching the city life pass her by as life would always do. The wind blows across her face, washing a few mere tears away. Her fingers don't dare to clear them for herself. After having enough cold, she turns towards the sunset, hoping to warm her shoulders right back up. It only delivers Shear the return of some old memories that at the point where she stands, she would rather forget.

"Mommy, someone's knocking at the door!"

"I'll be done in a minute, sweetie."

The knocking continues to pound Shear's precious head along with the thunder.

"Mom!"

She finally opens the door, and a body falls to his knees. "Oh my god, are you alright?"

The boy coughs without uttering a single word.

"Honey, get the phone! Call 9-1-1! Please!"

"Yes, Mom!"

Once the storm clears, a new memory appears.

"You are the best sister I've ever had," that same boy says his sweet sixteen birthday party.

The young sister blushes and twirls her hair in her fingers. "That's what you always wanted, right? What sis would I be for not getting you the latest issue?"

He laughs. "I love it…and I love you."

"Happy birthday, bro."

The last memory makes Shear cringe the most of all. It settles in the back of her mind, the last convention she ever went to with her brother.

"Are you sure this will make us popular?"

"Sure. We're the writers of Shear and Tobukaze. How can we not?"

"Tobukaze? Oh my god, it's Tobukaze!"

"I'm your biggest fan!"

"Shear, too!"

"You guys are so awesome! Imagine if you two were real superheroes."

"Oh, like that's gonna happen."

"It would be so cool!"

"Come on, Tobukaze, it would be cool."

"Well, I could agree I guess."

"Shear!"

"Tobukaze!"

"Tobukaze!"

"Shear!"

"Shear! The woman of claws!"

"Remember, Shear, wherever he is, he most likely doesn't want to be found as I said. Perhaps, your friendly days have ended. I suggest you move on, or else he's going to overpower you in that tiny memory portion of your brain. If he's the only thing that comes to mind, you might as well survive on your own instead of having your little friend do your sorry bidding."

"Your…"

"Sorry…"

"Bidding."

Then at last, the cursed heroine cries at the sky and grabs herself, piercing her skin with the little nails she can manage to pull out at the moment. They sting her like daggers through the heart. Her tears scratch her skin with a layer of body liquid like blood after a cut. "No! That's not true!" she sobs. "Please, it can't be true. I…I'm his…I'm…his…" Her lungs seem to be closing in on her until one voice relieves her from this tightening.

"Mogar knew you would be here."

"JESUS!" Shear rolls onto her back and stares up at this new acquaintance who seems to be just as interested at becoming her friend the moment he steps on the same roof as she's sitting. "Mogar, I…How did you…"

The bearman approaches and kneels down to her level, patting the young lady on the soft head. "It's six against one. Whatever he put into your head, it's not your fault."

The tears haunt Shear once again as she faces the floor of the rooftop. "What if it is?"

"No, it is not."

The harshness of Mogar's voice causes Shear's whole body to tremble.

"No."

"It."

"Is."

"Not."

From beyond her control, Shear's arms reach out in front of her, and Mogar takes them to wrap around his own neck. His broad limbs lock around her waist and bring her closer. "Not everyone in this world is meant to hurt you…or him. Shear has to understand that."

"I do, but…"

"No but-ings, Shear. You are not alone in this world. Open your eyes to that."

"Open…"

"Your…"

"Eyes…"

"To that."

Soon enough, Mogar's words seem to ring the bells louder than the Mad King's. For that moment in the sunset, Shear isn't alone. Her muscles relieve themselves as Mogar lifts her from the ground and into his arms. Her teary eyes stop operating only to run dry once again. The fur that warms the top of Mogar's chest snuggles against her mouth and cheek. Her eyelids shed the jewels underneath as she slowly breathes into that soft, brown fur that could resemble a scarf. Her lungs loosen to the beat of Mogar's footsteps.

"Is everything alright now?" she asks.

"Depends on what you're describing," replies Mogar.

"Just everything."

"Well…" He smirks a bit. "Not everything, but it will be. As long as you head it towards that direction, it will be."

"That's…" Shear yawns as she rests her head against his inner elbow. "...Good to know. Just…good to know."


End file.
